Janusz Korczak

Janusz Korczak was a Jewish Childrens’ author, educator and pediatrician from Poland, who later, was the director of a Jewish orphanage in Warsaw. He was famous for promoting Childrens’ rights, and especially for bravely staying with the Jewish orphanage, during World War Two, even though he was offered to leave the Ghetto, and live.

Janusz Korczak, whose birth name was Henryk Goldszmit, was born in Warsaw, either in 1878, or 1879, as there are no official records of his births, and sources and research vary. He was born to a Jewish family, and was a son of a respected lawyer in Warsaw- Josef Goldszmit.

Henryk was the only child in his family, but his parents did not educate Henryk religion, and didn’t mention religious subjects with him, as they considered themselves liberated Jews (and he followed them by this ideology), but they had given Henryk the best education available in his time.

Despite the fact Henryk was young, from an early age he managed his future life very well, he chose to be a physician. His wish was fulfilled later, and it was his specialty pediatrics.

Henryk dreamed to dedicate his life to children, especially the weak children, without any parents to protect them. He even believed he will never marry a woman, or have a family. His only family, was the helpless children he had helped.

As Henryks’ father died in 1896, Henryk had to work after school, as a tutor to financially help his mother, and later was asked to write.

In 1898 Henryk started writing for the local newspapers, and chose his writing pseudonym to be Janusz Korszak.

During Kotczaks’ studies in 1898 – 1904, he wrote many poems and short stories.

When the Russo-Japanese war started, in 1905, he served as a military doctor. During this time, his b...

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...r Janusz Korczak, that he might protect them with his weak, emaciated body . ..."

Korczak was offered the choice to stay alive, and escape to the “Aryan” Side”, but once again, Korczak refused repeatedly, explaining his choice by saying that he could not abandon his children.

Before leaving, Janusz Korczak told his children to wear their best clothes, he told them that they were having a trip to another place, that they would go to the woods, collect mushrooms and different berry fruits.

Until the last station, until the last moment, this brave man repeatedly refused to leave his children.

By the official version, Janusz, and his 192 orphans were exterminated in Treblinka, in the gas rooms.

There are different legends and speculations about the ending of the story, like the version that Janusz and the orphans escaped, but there is no real basis for those versions.